# Website under construction? How to create a coming soon website If your website is still under construction, your domain can still be online and offer content. A website coming soon page promotes your upcoming web presence. A website under construction message is also helpful for maintenance work. Find out here what to consider when designing and setting up these types of pages. ## What is the purpose of a coming soon website? It’s not unusual for weeks or even months to pass between registering a domain and launching a website. Still, it pays to [submit your URL to Google](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/registering-a-website-submitting-urls-to-google/) for **indexing** and to keep visitors informed with a coming soon page. Whether you’re preparing an online store, a blog, or a company site, this page builds anticipation, [boosts visibility](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/online-marketing/search-engine-marketing/promote-your-website/), and gives users a reason to return. Note If a website is not under construction but rather being **remodeled**, the homepage will typically display an “under construction” message. This page is similar in structure and purpose to a coming soon page but has a different focus. Instead of sparking curiosity, it primarily informs existing customers why the site is temporarily unavailable and **how long the interruption** will last.
Criterion Coming soon website Under construction website
Goal - Provide a preview of a new product, brand, or service. - Spark interest among the target group and generate leads. - Inform visitors about the current status of a (relaunch) site. - No relevance for SEO. - Preserve the page’s ranking.
Content - Minimalistic yet appealing. - Often includes a signup form (newsletter), teasers, social media links, and a short vision/announcement. - Simple, clear notice that the site will be available again soon. - Often includes a countdown.
SEO - Important for building authority. - Use of keywords, metadata, and backlinks. - Uses the HTTP status code 200 OK. - No relevance for SEO. - The page’s ranking should be preserved. - Uses the HTTP status code 503 service unavailable.
Duration - Usually runs for weeks or months. - Usually runs only for a few days or weeks.
Marketing - Active and central part of the marketing strategy. - Plays no role.
## How to set up a website under construction If you are building a completely new online presence, you can simply create a new page for the coming soon website, design it, and set it as the **homepage**. Once all the content is ready, replace the page with the actual homepage. The potential of a coming soon website is often underused. Simply displaying “website under construction” or “a new website is coming soon” with a stock construction image isn’t wrong—but it doesn’t spark **curiosity** or give visitors **a reason to return**. It also wastes a valuable chance to introduce yourself in advance. Below, you’ll find an overview of the most effective content and elements for coming soon pages. ### Introduce yourself or your vision What will happen on your website in the future? The information you provide here doesn’t have to be as detailed as on an “[About Me](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/about-me-page/)” or “[About Us](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/about-us-page/)” page, but it should give an idea of what **users can expect here in the future**. When your site is “under construction,” give visitors a reason why. Maybe it’s a [website relaunch](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/website-relaunch-what-to-bear-in-mind/) —or maybe you’re just clearing out stock for the new season. The latter adds a fun, playful twist that explains the downtime in a charming way, even if it’s not the actual cause. ### Establish your corporate identity At least include your **logo or company name**, even if your page is under construction. Ideally, you already have **colors, fonts, and other design elements** determined that you can use on the coming soon page. This way, you can convey a visual impression of your future web presence. ### Inform visitors when the construction will end Many sites use a **countdown** to show when they’ll be back online. The tricky part? You need to stick to the deadline—or risk letting visitors down. A better approach is to give a looser timeframe, like “in August,” “this fall,” or “end of the year,” so you have some wiggle room. You can also offer an **email alert** so users know the moment your website is live again. ### Integrate current contact options Link to an existing **contact form**, provide an email address or phone number, and, if applicable, include links to **social media profiles** (provided there is already content to see). ### Collect newsletter subscribers Also popular on coming soon pages is the integration of newsletter sign-ups, depending on the [website type](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/website-types/), combined with the promise of **discounts for first-time subscribers**. You might even send these out before the launch or during the construction phase. Or you can use the launch for an initial mailing. ## The right style for your website coming soon page A memorable “website under construction” page isn’t just about features and content—it also comes down to how it’s written. Depending on your **brand voice** and **target audience**, the style can be lighthearted and playful or more straightforward and informative. Ideally, it should tie into your website’s theme—for example, an online store could use the metaphor of a warehouse being cleared out. If you [sell furniture online](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/online-marketing/online-sales/sell-furniture-online/), you could describe it creatively as: *“Our interior designer is remeasuring our online store to make sure all the furniture really fits.”* If you run a restaurant, fitting alternatives might be: *“We’re currently rewriting our menu”* or *“We’re still perfecting the tastiest pasta creations north of Italy, so please be patient a little longer.”* ## 3 examples of a successful coming soon website ### Humorous company introduction [![Image: Website coming soon with company introduction](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/6/9/csm_website-coming-soon-page-presenting-a-company_7994b60518.webp "Website coming soon with company introduction")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/website-coming-soon-page-presenting-a-company.png) This example is brief but already provides an impression of what’s to come – not just in content, but also in style. ### Countdown & newsletter [![Image: Website coming soon with countdown](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/b/a/csm_website-coming-soon-page-with-countdown_6a3235d463.webp "Website coming soon with countdown")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/website-coming-soon-page-with-countdown.png) This example provides little information about the upcoming offering, but it does feature a countdown and has implemented newsletter sign-ups. ### Chatbot [![Image: Website coming soon with Chatbot](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/9/3/csm_website-coming-soon-page-with-chatbot_79f94979b0.webp "Website coming soon with Chatbot")](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Screenshots_2022/website-coming-soon-page-with-chatbot.png) A chatbot encourages website visitors to spend more time on the website coming soon page. ## How long can a website be under construction? If you are launching a completely new website, you can theoretically keep the coming soon page active **indefinitely**. For an under construction page, however, the situation is different: keep it **as short as possible**, ideally no longer than a few days or a week. Whatever timeline you communicate, it’s important to stick to it—otherwise, you risk losing credibility with your visitors. ## What should you keep in mind about SEO for under construction websites? While SEO doesn’t play a major role for a coming soon page—since Google hasn’t yet indexed much content—it is far more critical for a website under construction. If Google’s crawler visits your site during maintenance and only finds a placeholder page, this can be interpreted as a negative signal and lead to a ranking downgrade. Repeated or prolonged maintenance phases can amplify this effect. That’s why it’s essential to keep such phases **as short as possible** to reduce the risk of crawlers arriving at the wrong time. This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/website-under-construction/](https://www.ionos.ca/digitalguide/websites/website-creation/website-under-construction/) for AI/LLM consumption.